War: The Next Pope!

JMJ

As I write this on December 23, 2023, I can't help by wonder what the next Pope (i.e. Vicar of Christ) will do in the aftermath left by Pope Francis (the First and hopefully the Last).

Pope Francis has placed another landmine on the path outwards of this Crisis of the Catholic Church. Simply put, it is the allowance of 'blessings' for Gay Couples. The list of other landmines is long and glorious but some highlights would be the dismantling of the hierarchy, removal of priests and bishops for being 'divisive', ambiguous documents that open the Catholic Church to the acceptance of sinful acts as practical doctrine,

Yes, Pope Francis (elected March 13, 2013) has left quite a mess and this mess is what the next Pope, if he is a great (not just good) Vicar of Christ will have to walk the Way of the Cross to undo the evil Gordian knot tied by Popes since Pius XII.

Each Pope has, by their decisions, added Bights, Crossings, Elbows, and loops to the knot that that one wonders to how untie it (Link: Knot Term).

After some reflection, here's what I would tell a newly elected Vicar of Christ if he asked me.

Don't start with the knot, start with the rope.

Declare the complete Catholic Dogma in the face of the central issues. This would include a list of the Dogmas, that Catholics need to believe in order to remain Catholic and not (knot?) fall into heresy.
This will create an uproar from the the world, the flesh and the Devil. That's why it will require Heroic Virtue to stand against so many to proclaim the Truths of the Catholic Church.
This one act will make clear the battle lines with the Church and in the World, cutting numerous lines of the knot making it easier to unravel large sections of it.
In short, provide clarity.

Go to the knot's core, fix the seminaries.

The seminaries are either the gardens or breeding grounds of the Catholic Church.
If they are aligned with Catholic Teaching (ie Dogmas, Doctrines, Principles etc) then they are gardens. Gardens provide nourishment for the strengthening of the Church.
If they are not aligned with Catholic Teaching, then they are the breeding ground for heresy and revolutionaries.
We've seen this already where 'Garden" seminaries result in a flourishing of the Faith. Examples are the seminaries of Traditional Congregations and conservative diocesan seminaries - such as Lincoln, Nebraska.

Note this does not mean the there won't be problems. The cultural pressures of the world cannot be under-estimated. Attrition affects the ordained priests of the SSPX. They go to the diocese, leave the priesthood etc and it is essential to realize that it isn't easy to be a priest in this world. It never really has been easy, it is just harder now.

Organize the Vatican around the Mission of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church is a hierarchical organization and needs to be optimized for decision making, taking action and communication.
Prioritize the elimination of persecution of faithful Catholics by people within the Catholic Church. No matter where they are in the hierarchy of the Church.
De-prioritize the transitory world issues until the Catholic Church has righted itself.

My first thoughts - there would be more but this would be a major starting point.

P^3

Comments

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

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Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

Comparision of the Tridentine, Cranmer and Novus Ordo Masses

+ JMJ I downloaded the comparison that was linked in the previous article on the mass (here) . ... a very good reference! P^3 From: Whispers of Restoration (available at this link) . CHARTING LITURGICAL CHANGE Comparing the 1962 Ordinary of the Roman Mass to changes made during the Anglican Schism; Compared in turn to changes adopted in the creation of Pope Paul VI’s Mass in 1969 The chart on the reverse is a concise comparison of certain ritual differences between three historical rites for the celebration of the Catholic Mass Vetus Ordo: “Old Order,” the Roman Rite of Mass as contained in the 1962 Missal, often referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”The Ordinary of this Mass is that of Pope St. Pius V (1570) following the Council of Trent (1545-63), hence the occasional moniker “Tridentine Mass.” However, Trent only consolidated and codified the Roman Rite already in use at that time; its essential form dates to Pope St. Gregory the Great (+604), in whose time the R...

Church Militant TV and the SSPX - Again

+ JMJ The old narrative used to be that the SSPX was 'schismatic' and 'excommunicated'. Now the excommunication has been lifted for a number of years and the only ones who think it still has effect are the 'resistors'. That leaves the other opponents of the SSPX with the label 'schismatic'. Make it clear, the conservative Catholics have issues with the SSPX probably because they violate some of their assumptions about the Faith and this crisis of the Church. Church Militant TV is one of these the exists along the Catholic thought spectrum. They like the Traditional Mass but must ensure that they don't get tarred with the same 'schismatic' brush that the liberals use against the SSPX. So what do they do, they use the same brush against the SSPX. The funny thing is that even when the Church does speak, they don't want to listen and persist in calling the SSPX 'schismatic'. Here's a transcript of the latest s...

The Position of the SSPX on Canonizations by the Saint Factory

+ JMJ I have sometimes been criticized for including 'St' as a title for Pope John Paul II et al. I've given my reasons here in a discussion with Alex Long. The question is one of prudence in discussions with ntCatholics and in some cases with tCatholics. In discussions with: ntCatholics, I will use the title in order to continue the discussion and help them arrive at a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. tCatholics, I will use the title in order to broaden their perspective on the doctrine of dogmatic facts. This broader perspective is, in my opinion, essential maintaining a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. So from a doctrinal position, I have written the article Dogmatic Fact of Fancy and includes a reference on canonizations. Now, I know the position of the SSPX is that the canonizations are doubtful (see references below) and I also know of at least one non-SSPX theologian who agrees with the level of doubt du...

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